Regulatory Consulting

Your regulatory questions answered

Regulations govern everything about a product, from the ingredients that may be used to the artwork layout, nutritional claims, recycling statements and branding of your product.

Adding to this complexity is the lack of harmonised law globally; every jurisdiction is governed by unique legislation, even within regions like the EU and US.

At Ashbury, finding, interpreting and communicating product regulations is what our experts do best. We have decades of experience navigating the sources of legislation and have put this into practice across multiple product categories, countries and scenarios – we are a hub of knowledge for your team to leverage.

We consult on:

Working with food products, pet food, cosmetics, hygiene and cleaning products we can advise on:

General and specific labelling requirements – HFSS nutrient profile scores – Marketing, nutrition, and health claims – Compositional standards – Rules around fortified food, food supplements, food for specific groups – Novel foods – Genetically modified foods – Organic foods – Food additives, flavourings, enzymes, processing aids – Micro criteria, contaminants, pesticides, veterinary residues – Authorities and enforcement – Notification and registration procedures

In our partnership we provide a breadth of knowledge, improved speed to market and leave you with complete confidence in the compliance of your products, so you can go to market responsibly.

Not sure where to start or feeling confused by a certain piece of legislation? Get in touch and we’ll figure out what you need to keep moving.

Our approach is risk-based

Every product is unique. We analyse risk and consider your commercial positioning to provide you (where possible) with options so you can decide what works best for your product and brand within the lines of the law.

Our technologists and regulatory experts provide advice for food and non-food products on any topic relating to domestic or international product labelling information.

We work collaboratively with your team (technologists, marketing, graphic designers) to provide guidance which starts in the ideation and formulation phase, through to export-ready labels.

Breadth and depth of expertise

Regulations are constantly evolving, consumer trends change, and new pressures are placed on the industry to comply.

We help our clients with everything from calculating Nutrient Profile Scores for HFSS, to understanding health and nutritional claims on supplements – our knowledge stretches across categories and topics.

 

In Practice

The definition of chocolate is a simple example that can put into perspective the complexities of regulatory compliance:

You may be planning the launch of a new low-sugar or vegan chocolate product. Each jurisdiction defines ‘chocolate’ differently – some may not accept ’chocolate’ as a description unless composition requirements regarding milk, sugar and cocoa content are satisfied. Before you spend time and money developing a product that can only be sold in a some of your target markets, or requires modifications to be legally compliant, Ashbury can clarify the situation in each of the countries you hope to sell in. This way you can kick off your NPD process with confidence and avoid running into issues when authorities object to your labelling.